David told the messenger,“ Tell Joab,‘ Don’t get upset over what happened. Swords kill one person as well as another. So keep on attacking the city. Destroy it.’ Tell that to Joab. It will cheer him up.”

王向使者说：“你告诉约押说：‘不要因这事愁闷，刀剑或吞灭这人或吞灭那人，没有一定的；你只管竭力攻城，将城倾覆。’可以用这话勉励约押。”

大卫向使者说：“你对约押这样说：‘不要为这事难过，因为刀剑可能吞灭这人或那人。你只管竭力攻城，将城倾覆。’你要勉励约押。”

大卫向使者说：“你对约押这样说：‘不要为这事难过，因为刀剑可能吞灭这人或那人。你只管竭力攻城，将城倾覆。’你要勉励约押。”

大卫便对信使说：“你去告诉约押不要为这事难过，因为刀剑无情。让他只管竭力攻陷城池。要这样勉励约押。”

大卫对那使者说：“你要对约押这样说：‘不要为这件事难过，因为刀剑有时吞灭这人，有时吞灭那人。你只要加紧攻打这城，把城毁灭。’你要这样鼓励他。”

王向使者說：「你告訴約押說：『不要因這事愁悶，刀劍或吞滅這人或吞滅那人，沒有一定的；你只管竭力攻城，將城傾覆。』可以用這話勉勵約押。」

大衛向使者說：「你對約押這樣說：『不要為這事難過，因為刀劍可能吞滅這人或那人。你只管竭力攻城，將城傾覆。』你要勉勵約押。」

大衛向使者說：「你對約押這樣說：『不要為這事難過，因為刀劍可能吞滅這人或那人。你只管竭力攻城，將城傾覆。』你要勉勵約押。」

大衛便對信使說：「你去告訴約押不要為這事難過，因為刀劍無情。讓他只管竭力攻陷城池。要這樣勉勵約押。」

大衛對那使者說：“你要對約押這樣說：‘不要為這件事難過，因為刀劍有時吞滅這人，有時吞滅那人。你只要加緊攻打這城，把城毀滅。’你要這樣鼓勵他。”

王對使者說：『你告訴約押說：「你看了這事不要難受，因為刀劍吞滅這人或那人是沒有一定的；你只管加強戰力攻城，將城翻毁好啦；」你總要使約押的意志剛強。』

大衛就對使者說：「你要對約押如此說：『不要為這件事難過，因為刀劍有時吞噬這個，有時吞噬那個。你只要竭力攻擊那城，把它摧毀！』你要這樣鼓勵約押。」

大衛謂使者曰、爾其語約押曰、毋以此為憂、刃之吞人、或彼或此、當益奮厥力、攻城而毀之、以此勉勵約押、

大闢謂使者曰、汝必告約押曰、勿以此為憂、亡於刃者、或彼或此、爾當攻城、愈奮其力、期以必陷、爾以是言勵其銳志。

大衛謂使者曰、爾當告約押曰、勿以此為憂、刀劍殺人、刀劍殺人或作亡於刃者或彼或此、無所定焉、但當極力攻城而傾毀之、爾可以此言慰約押、

David told the messenger,“ Say this to Joab:‘ Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

David said to the messenger,“ Thus shall you say to Joab,‘ Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

“ Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said.“ The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!”

David told the messenger,“ Say this to Joab:‘ Don’t let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him.”

Then David said to the messenger,“ This is what you shall say to Joab:‘ Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; fight with determination against the city and overthrow it’; and thereby encourage him.”

Then David said to the messenger,“ Thus you shall say to Joab:‘ Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ So encourage him.”

Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another; make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

David told the messenger,“ Say this to Joab:‘ Don’t let this matter upset you because the sword devours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him.”

Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

David said to the messenger,“ Tell Joab,‘ Don’t let this thing upset you. There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down. Press the battle against the city and conquer it.’ Encourage him with these words.”

Then David said to the messenger,“ Tell Joab,‘ Don’t let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle stronger against the city, and overthrow it.’ Encourage him.”

I thought about all these things. I realized that those who are wise and do what is right are under God’s control. What they do is also under his control. But no one knows whether they will be loved or hated.Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. It comes to good and bad people alike. It comes to“ clean” and“ unclean” people alike. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don’t offer them also die. A good person dies, and so does a sinner. Those who make promises die. So do those who are afraid to make them.Here’s what is so bad about everything that happens on this earth. Death catches up with all of us. Also, the hearts of people are full of evil. They live in foolish pleasure. After that, they join those who have already died.

Here’s something else I’ve seen on this earth. Races aren’t always won by those who run fast. Battles aren’t always won by those who are strong. Wise people don’t always have plenty of food. Clever people aren’t always wealthy. Those who have learned a lot aren’t always successful. God controls the timing of every event. He also controls how things turn out.No one knows when trouble will come to them. Fish are caught in nets. Birds are taken in traps. And people are trapped by hard times that come when they don’t expect them.

But keep an eye on the cart. See if it goes up toward Beth Shemesh to its own territory. If it does, then it’s the Lord who has brought this horrible trouble on us. But if it doesn’t, then we’ll know it wasn’t his hand that struck us. We’ll know it happened to us by chance.”

During that time, Joab fought against Rabbah. It was the royal city of the Ammonites. It had high walls around it. Joab was about to capture it.

Lord, our enemies have driven us away. What can I say?The Canaanites will hear about it. So will everyone else in the country. They will surround us. They’ll erase any mention of our name from the face of the earth. Then what will you do when people don’t honor your great name anymore?”